Timothy Z. Lu

Microwave - Human Use Analysis

introduction user experience pros and cons improvements

To help determine how to improve the microwave experience, undergraduates were surveyed and interviewed about the aspects of microwaving food that they both liked and disliked, with the key takeaways summarized below:

Pros:

• Microwaves are convenient to use, and generally heat up food quickly.
• Micorwaves are ubiquitous, and generally have similar layouts, making them easy to use, even for users who might not have had experience with particular models or brands.

Cons:

• Microwaves are difficult to keep clean, and the cleaning process is annoying.
• The function of certain buttons can be confusing, and differ from model to model.
• There was particular frustration with the numpad, as some microwaves automaticaly start after inputting a number, and others wait for the user to press "Start." This led to some respondents opting to use only the "add 30 seconds" button to input time.
• It can be difficult to know how long to microwave certain foods. Most respondents microwave leftovers (73%), which don't carry timing instructions.
• Microwaves don't always heat up foods uniformly.
• In certain situations, waiting for the food tofinish cooking can be frustrating.